On March 4, 2011, a CareerCamp was held at St. Paul University – Quezon City for the senior students of its College of Business and Technology, sponsored by Myra E.

This time around, CareerCamp offered a personality development session led by Helen Buencamino. Called “New and Professional You,” this talk gave Paulinians tips for transitioning from stressed-out college student to confident professional — inside and out. Carmina Esguerra-Co followed with tips for better resumes and surviving job interviews.

The EdgeWise.PH team was there to cover it, and picked up these tidbits from the Q&A session:

“Do I really need to submit a cover letter with my resume?”
Yes. Your resume is just a summary of your life and experience — but a cover letter is where you get to “sell” your best qualities. (More on writing cover letters here.) Unless the company wants you to submit a resume online and nothing else, you must compose a cover letter to go with it. Even the email that you will attach your resume to can be a cover letter, so better work on it.

“I just want to work for this company and I’m not responding to any job ad they’ve published. How do I explain that in my cover letter?”
Think about why you really want to work for this company. Is it because you’ve heard good things about them? How and where did you hear these good things? Do you know anyone who has worked there before? Why do you think that they’d be a great place for you to start your career?

Are your reasons for wanting to work for them based on reliable facts and sources, instead of pure emotion? If yes, then you might want to include this in your cover letter. Your knowledge of the company and the work they do could get you noticed, even though you’re not responding to a specific job ad.

Also: If you’re not responding to an ad, but have an idea which department in the company you’d like to work for, mention it in your letter.

“What’s the best layout to use for a resume?”
There are many resume templates available online. Look for one that uses a simple font, has an easy-to-read layout, and looks clean to you. (More tips here.)

“How do I deal with interviewers asking me what salary I want? I don’t have any work experience.”
For entry-level positions, you often don’t have a choice over the salary offer that you get. If they ask you for a “desired salary” anyway, make sure that you’ve done research beforehand — ask a friend who works in the same company, or people who have worked in the same industry, so you know what to expect. (More tips here.)